Apparatus for making lock washers



Jan.28, 1930. K, GARRETT 1,745,160

APPARATUS FOR MAKING LOCK WASHERS Filed May 1, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 28, 1930. I GARRETT 1,745,160

APPARATUS FOR MAKING LO CK WASHERS Filed May 1, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Q @J 59 6'0 Jan. 28, 1930. G. K. GARRETT ,7

APPARATUS FOR MAKING LOCK WASHERS Filed May 1, 1926 s Sheets-sheaf. 5

II-"Ill" l i ll-llllllllii Patented Jan. 28 1930 GEORGE K. GARRETT, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA APPARATUS FOR MAKING LOCK WASHERS Application filed May 1, 1926. Serial No. 105,937.

My invention relates to the making oflock washers of the split and resilient spring type,

and it relates more particularly to a corrugated or knurled type of spring lock washer, having serrated or otherwise roughened faces.

My invention relates more particularly to a novel method, and apparatus for making lock washers of the type stated, in an automatic and entirely continuous manner, from a continuousrod or wire of a suitable metal and of suitable cross section, a t

It has been the practice heretofore in making lock washers of this type, to wind upon a suitable arbor or mandrel, a helical coil of wire,-ofsuitable cross section, removing the helical coil from the mandrel, and lastly cutting the helical coil longitudinally so as to separate the same into individual convolutions; each forming one complete washer, I with offset separated ends.

It has also been the practice heretofore, in making: lock washers of the resilient spring type, with roughened or knurled faces, to 'draw such wire through a pair of knu-rling or roughening rolls, prior to the coiling of such wire. By the method and machine disclosed in United States. Letters Patent No. 1,560,228, granted to me on November 3,, 1925, it has been possible tomake lock washers of this type, in an. automatic and semicontinuous manner, and it has also been possible simultaneously to knurl and coil the wire,thus combining in one single operation what were heretofore separate and distinct operations.

By the'method and apparatus of the Letters Patent above mentioned, the wire, of suitable keystone shaped cross section, was propelled throughcoiling devices interm1t-. tently, by means of a pair of propelling and knurling' rolls, .and the individual convolutions of the coil thus formed, were severed by suitable reciprocating cutting means, which functioned while the coiling devices were stationary or inoperative. This intermittent and alternate coiling and cutting of the wire. while an improvement upon the method of making lock washers used heretofore, to w t, 50 by separate coiling, knurling, and cutting of the wire, was still lacking the desired speed of operation, due to the intermittent reciprocating action of the machine.

By the apparatus of my present invention, in contradistinction to the method and apparatus of my invention-disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent hereinabove referred to, the wire of which the washerscare formed is not only simultaneously knurled and coiled, but is also coiled and knurled in an entirely continuous and non-intermittent manner, and the individual convolutions of the coil thus formed, are severed by a continuously moving cutting device, moving at a uniform and con stant speed, so timed with respect to the wire "propelling and coiling device, as accurately to sever single and individual convolutions of the coil, without any interruption of the coiling operation.-- l

With the above ends in view, my present in- 7 vention further consists of novel apparatus for carrying out the hereinabove mentioned novel method, comprising apair of coacting propelling and knurling rolls, rigid and stationary guides for guiding the wire to and from said rolls, a stationary coiling mandrel in operative alignment withsaid propelling and knurling rolls, an idle coiling roll in juxtaposition to said coiling mandrel, adapted vto bend the wire about the latter in a helical coil formation, as the wire is propelled against said idle coiling rolls, by said propelling and knurling rolls. a rotary cutter. permanently and constantly interconnected with said propelling and knurling rolls, in

juxtaposition to said mandrel, and also positioned in timed relation with respect to said knurling and propelling rolls, so as to sever the outermost convolution. of the coil formed about said mandrel, with each revolution of .said coil, and suitable driving means to impart a constant rotary motion to said propelling and-knurlin'g rolls and said rotary cutter.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred by me, since they will give in practice. satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instru inn mentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a novel lockwasher making machine, embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents a top plan view of the same. I p v Figure 3 represents a right side elevation of the same.

Figure 4 represents a partial front elevation of the same, on an enlarged scale, illustrating in detail the coiling and cutting devices, embodying my invention and shown dicated by generally in Figure 1.

Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5. v

Figure 7 represents a view in elevation of the idle coiling roll.

Figure 8 represents a perspective view of a lock washer, the product of the novel method and apparatus herein described.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, 1

designates a housing or frame of my novel machine, having'the horizontal main driving shaft 2, mounted therein and extending transversely'thereof, journalled in the bearings 3 and 4, having a driving pulley 5, carried at the rear end thereof and having'the hand wheel 6 secured to the front end thereof. At a suitable distance from the horizontal main driving shaft 2, and to the left thereof, as viewed in front elevation and plan views, in Figures 1 and 2, are a pair of upright shafts 7 and 8, suitably journaled in the housing in the bearings 9 and 10, and 11 and 12 respectively.

The shaft 7 is directly driven from the main or driving shaft 2, by means of a worm 13 carried by the horizontal driving shaft 2, and a corresponding worm' gear 14, carried by the shaft 7, whereby a positive rotary motion is imparted to the shaft 7, at a suitable reduced speed. The two shafts 7 and 8 are in turn positively and permanently interconnected by means of the permanently meshed gears 15 and 16 respectively, Secured to their lower ends, said gears being of equal diameter, and thus imparting rotary; motion to said shaft 8, at a speed equal to that of the shaft 7 and in the opposite direction, is inthe arrows 17 and 18 respectively in Figure 2.

To the upper ends of the shafts 7 and 8, a pair of similar propelling or feeding and knurling rolls 19 and 20 are secured, alsoof equal diameters and having their effective circumferential surfaces slightly inclined,

and provided with suitable serrations, and spaced apart from each other a suitable distance as shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3. The propelling or feeding rolls 19 and 20 are adapted to receive between them and to engage the opposed inclined surfaces of a suitable keystone shaped wire and to propel said wire through coiling devices, as will be brought outmore in detail hereinafter.

A horizontal cylindrical recess 21 is provided in the front. wall of said housing 1, and has. mounted therein a cylindrical plug 22 of suitable diameter, the outer end of which is substantially flush with the outer front vertical wall of the housing 1. The plug 22 carries an eccentric coiling mandrel 23 of suitable length, projecting outwardly from the end thereof, with the axis of said mandrel 23 parallel to, and spaced a suitable distance from the axis of the cylindrical plug 22. Thus, by revolving the plug 22, the position of the coiling mandrel 23 may be altered or adjusted within suitable limits. A. set screw 24, is threaded in the housing 1, and is adapted to engage the surface of the cylidrical plug 22, so as to lock the same in any desired and adjusted position.

I A longitudinalv slide-25 is mounted upon the front vertical wall of the housing, between two guides 26 and 27, which are secured to the front vertical wall 28, by means of the bolts 29. The slide'25 has rigidly and fixedly secured thereto a horizontal stud 30, upon which a coiling roll bracket 31 is mounted. The coiling roll bracket 31 is provided with the opening 32 for receiving the stud 30,

and is also split longitudinally as at 33. Thebolt 34 serves to clamp the two split halves of the end of the bracket to said stud. An upper and a lower adjustment and set screw .35 and 36 respectively, disposed in alignment with the bracket 31, are adapted to fix and secure the same in any desired and adjusted position. The free end 37 of the bracket 31 is bifurcated and carries an idle coiling or forming roll 38, rotatably mounted on the horizontal spindle or shaft 39.

Wlre guides 41 and 42, as well as a guide 43, are rigidly secured to the upper horizontal wall 40 of the housing 1, by means of the screws 44, in alignment with each other, and disposed tangentially with respect to both the propelling and -knurling rolls 19 and 20, as shown particularly in Figure 2. The continuous wire or rod 45, drawn from any suitable spool, 1s first passed beneath the idle guide roll 46, carried by the bracket 47 and the idle roll 48 carried by the bracket 49, and thence through guides 43 and 41. These guidlng means serve to straighten the wire rod preparatory to the knurling and coiling thereof. The wire from' there passes through and between the two propelling or feeding and knurlmg faces of the rolls 19 and 20, which not only draw the wire through the I guide 42,; it is substantially tangent to the coiling mandrel 23, at the bottom thereof, as shown particularly in Figure 4, and from there is forced around the mandrel, by a constant and uniform bending eflected by the idle coiling roll 38, which, when properly adjusted with respect to the mandrel 23, and with regards to the thickness of the wire 45,

' will impart to the wire a curvature suflicient -to wrap the same about the arbor in the desired helical formation.

- A thin separator rib may be provided on the idle coiling roll 38, in such a manner as to project outwardly between the convolution of thehelical coil, as it is being formed, and the preceding convolution of the same, which is ready to be served. to form' the finished washer, thereby to separate such convolution slightly and thus to give the cutter sufficient v clearance.

A suitable feed screw 51, is rotatably secured in the slide 25, by means of the groove 53 and the pin 54, and carries a hand wheel or handle 55, at its outer end. By means of the feed screw 51, the slide 25 may be thus adjusted horizontally to any suitable position with respect to the coiling mandrel 23. The lock nuts 56 serve. to fix the position of the slide after proper adjustment.

In order to sever the individual convolutions of the helical coil formed about the mandrel 23, of the wire 45, a novel rotary cutting device is provided, whereby the individual convolutions are severed in rapid succession, without any interruption of the formation of the coil,'and without any diminntion of the speed of the coiling devices. Thus ac'utter'shaft 57 is journalled in the front and rear horizontal bearings 58 and 59 respectively in the upper portion of the frameor housing 1. To the outer end of the cutter shaft 57 is secured a suitable gear 60, which is in mesh with an idle gear 61, which in turn is in mesh with the pinion '62 carried by the main driving shaft 2. Thus the cutter shaft 57 is revolved in unison with the main driving shaft 2, at any suitablespeed, dependent upon the ratio'of the pinion 62 to the gear 60. The front end of the cutter shaft 57 carries a suitable cutter head 63, in which one or several suitable tool bits or cutters 64 may be mounted in a manner shown in Figures 3 and 4, and secured thereto by an outer plate 65 and the bolts 66. p a

The free end of the mandrel 23 is also notched as at 67 by means of an arcuate slot extending to substantially the center of the mandrel, thereby to form an upper cutting edge 68 on said mandrel. The cutting edges of the tool bits or cutters 64 are so adjusted or set, as to coact with the cutting edge 68 on the mandrel 23, indicated in Figure 4, thereby transversely .to shear the wire of the coil, passing over said cutting edge, after the formation of the coil, and thereby to sever and separate an individual convolution of such coil. I a

The speed of rotation of the cutter shaft 57 is determined by the speed of the coiling operation and by the diameter of the coil formed. In order to permit the adjustment of the speed ratio between the coiling and the k cutting devices, suitable interchangeable gears may be provided on the rear-"ends of the cutting shaft and main shaft 57 to 2 respectively, as shown particularly in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Thus, the gears and pinions 60 and 61 and 62 are each removable or replaceable by a gear or pinion of a difierent size, while the idle stud 69 is adjustably mounted in a suitable slot 70 in the bracket 71, in any suitable manner. The bracket 71 is turn pivotally mounted on the shaft 2 (Figures 1 and 2) and is fixed in any suitable positionby a bolt 72 passing through the arcuate slot 73 in said bracket.

. 7 An upright brace member 74 may also be provided/directly beneath the coiling man-' drel 23, and preferably adjustably mounted an adjustment screw 76 as shown particularly in Figures 4 and 6. The brace member is provided with a transverse channel 77 in its upper end which is adapted to receive one of the coils formed upon the coiling mandrel 23 thereby to support and brace the upright end of the mandrel 23 during the cutting or severing operation, when the strain of the shearing is brought to bear on the free or cutting end of the mandrel.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful apparatus for making'lock washers which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have in the present instance shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof, which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that such embodiment is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is V In a device of the character stated, a pair of vertical propelling shafts, a pair of wire propelling rolls carried thereby, adapted to in suitable support 75 and secured therein by coiling rolls, having a suitable cutting edge near the outer end thereof, means to adjust said mandrel eccentrically, a horizontally arranged idle coiling roll in juxtaposition to said coiling mandrel, adapted to coact therewith to bend the Wire about said mandrel when propelled against said coiling roll by said propelling rolls, a cutter shaft extending substantially parallel to said coiling mandrel, a disc cutter head carried by said cutter shaft a cutter for said head adapted to coact with the cutting edge carried by said coiling mandrel, thereby to sever the convolutions of the coil formed about said mandrel, means pernianently and operatively interconnecting said cutter shaft and said propelling rolls, to revolve the former in synchronism with the latter.

GEORGE K. GARRETT. 

